Sue Lemmo

I understand that I work in a very intuitive
manner. Sometimes my initial idea veers into a totally new
direction and I have learned to just follow along and see where
the path leads me. It was this way with my piece for the “Weird
Quilts Challenge”. My first idea involved flashbulbs, as in
used and discarded flash bulbs.

However, as that idea was germinating I took my thirteen year
old daughter shopping at the mall. While standing in line to
make a purchase, she noticed some fashion dolls on display
near the register. In a rather off hand way she remarked, “That
doll looks like it has had some work done. She is a little
scary.” At thirteen, my daughter has a better understanding
of the body image problems that women in her society face than
many adult women do. We immediately started coming up with
names for a new line of fashion dolls; “Botox Bambi”, “Collagen
Cathy”, “Liposuction Linda”, etc. (Too bad the woman standing
in line behind us didn't find this game as amusing as we did).

And so was born, “The Adventures of Stretch Mark Susie vs.
Boob Job Bambi and Collagen Cathy”. I want my daughters to
see that they do not have to follow an artificial construct
of beauty to be beautiful. True beauty comes from understanding
oneself, accepting oneself, and celebrating one's gifts. My
own body resembles that of my mother, my grandmother, my great
grandmother; it is rather short and round. It is imperfect
in many ways. But several years ago I stood in front of a painting
at the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago and had an epiphany.
I recognized my bare behind in a four hundred year old painting.
On that day, I came to the conclusion that my rear end is the
ideal of beauty for Renaissance Italy. I made peace with my
body that afternoon.

It is very sad to me that an idea as basic as being comfortable
in one's own body, would be considered “weird”, but unfortunately
for many women it is just that. To anyone who feels that way,
I send Stretch Mark Susie to the rescue!